Interview with Ed Hochuli

Ever wondered if Ed Hochuli has taken performance enhanced drugs? Yep, we have too... judging by this picture, he wouldn't have to. However, Mike Schmidt (no... not that Mike Schmidt) asked him about it anyway during a recent interview over at the New York Times:

ARE REFEREES TESTED FOR PERFORMANCE-ENHANCING DRUGS?

"We get drug- and alcohol-tested randomly throughout the season, about a half-dozen times. I honestly don’t know what they test for. I don’t care what they test for because I have never done anything along the lines of performance-enhancing drugs, but it is a question I get asked a lot."

Some of you may not be aware that when Ed is not showing off his biceps officiating NFL games, he is busy defending would be criminals in his home town of Phoenix, Az. He said, "I am a full-time civil litigator and a full-time referee. I go and defend in court. The two jobs have a lot in common."

Asked if he had ever had to combine the two occupations - Ed revealed this amazing story:

"During a game in week 12 last fall, I had already thrown my flag and cap during a play. When another penalty occurred, I reached into my pocket and threw a small white card in the direction of the offending player. When asked about it after the game, I explained to the questioning reporter it was my business card that I keep on my person for all Cinncinatti Bengals games."

Ok, ok... we made that last part up, but seriously - how funny would that be?